Amendment ID: S2572-7-R1
Redraft Amendment 7
Screening for Childhood Trauma
Ms. Creem, Messrs. Tarr, Eldridge, Montigny and O'Connor move that the proposed new draft be amended by inserting after section 11 the following section:-
“SECTION 11A. Said chapter 18C is hereby further amended by striking out section 14, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-
Section 14. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following words shall have the following meaning unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
“Trauma”, the result of an event, series of events or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and physical, social, emotional or spiritual well-being.
“Adverse childhood experiences”, events including, but not limited to: (i) experiencing violence or abuse; (ii) witnessing violence in the home or community; (iii) having a close family member die or attempt to die by suicide or die by overdose; (iv) living with a close family member or caregiver with a substance use condition or behavioral health needs; (v) experiencing separation from a parent due to divorce, incarceration or child welfare intervention; and (vi) experiencing chronic stress caused by community-level adversity, including the effects of racism and discrimination.
“Protective factors”, experiences, circumstances or relationships that can mitigate an adverse impact of trauma or promote resiliency.
(b) The office shall convene a childhood trauma task force composed of members of the juvenile justice policy and data board established pursuant to section 89 of chapter 119 to study, report and make recommendations on: (i) gender-responsive and trauma-informed approaches to treatment for juveniles and youthful offenders in the juvenile justice system; and (ii) how the commonwealth can better identify, support and provide services to children and youth who have experienced trauma, with the goal of preventing future juvenile justice system involvement and other negative life outcomes. The task force shall prioritize a juvenile or youthful offender’s pathway into the juvenile justice system with the goal of reducing the likelihood of recidivism by addressing the unique issues associated with juvenile or youthful offenders including emotional abuse, household mental illness, parental absence and household member incarceration.
(c) The task force shall: (i) review the benefits and risks of utilizing available tools, protocols and best practices for targeted or universal screening for childhood trauma and protective factors for all children and for children entering the foster care system; and (ii) make recommendations regarding the manner and circumstances under which trauma or protective factors screening should be used for all children and for children entering the foster care system. The task force shall consider evidence regarding the efficacy of existing screening tools, practices and protocols in various settings, including elementary and secondary educational settings, pediatric settings, child welfare settings and juvenile justice settings, and the purpose and goal of the tools, practices and protocols in supporting healthy child development. The task force shall study models used in other states and make recommendations regarding whether it is appropriate and feasible to adopt, amend or update existing tools, practices and protocols for use in screening or assessing children in various settings, including children entering the foster care system.
In circumstances where trauma screening and assessment is recommended by the task force, the recommendations shall specify: (i) the population of children to be screened; (ii) the types of professionals who are appropriate to administer a trauma screening; (iii) the training required to support authorized professionals in the sound and efficient administration of a screening; (iv) processes to ensure regular periodic review of protocols for screening; (v) ways to ensure adequate reimbursement for providers responsible for screenings; and (vi) mechanisms for providing post-screening assessment and intervention as appropriate.
In conducting the review and formulating recommendations under this section, the task force shall seek input from relevant stakeholders and specialists including, but not limited to, MassHealth, the division of insurance, the office of health equity, the Center on Child Wellbeing and Trauma at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the Foster Children Evaluation Services at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Children’s Medical Center, the Association for Behavioral Healthcare, Inc., the New England Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Children’s Mental Health Campaign, Boston Children’s Hospital Neighborhood Partnerships Program, the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Massachusetts Association for Infant Mental Health, the Child Trauma Training Center, the Massachusetts Alliance for Families and the Child Witness to Violence Project at Boston Medical Center.
(d) The task force shall consult with youth with lived adverse childhood experiences, their guardians and support networks and other experts and conduct public stakeholder meetings as necessary to ensure that perspectives from a diverse set of individuals and organizations inform the task force’s work.
(e) Annually, not later than December 15, the childhood trauma task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor, the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives, the joint committee on the judiciary, the joint committee on public safety and homeland security, the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery, the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities, the joint committee on health care financing and the chief justice of the trial court of the commonwealth.”.